Basílica of Higüey

The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia in Higüey is the Dominican Republic's most important religious shrine, dedicated to the nation's patron saint, with a soaring parabolic concrete arch rising about 70 metres over the entrance and inaugurated in 1971. Designed by French architects, its bold modernist geometry and the dramatic shafts of light inside make it unlike any other church in the Caribbean. Cultural day trips through Higüey stop here on the way to or from the coast, often paired with the local market. Our photographers frame the great arch, the modernist lines and the light pouring through the nave — striking at any hour, and especially atmospheric in the strong midday and late-afternoon sun, year-round.